DMV wrongly strips driving rights

More than 100 Puebloans falsely accused of felonies

by anthony a. mestas
the pueblo chieftain

Published: May 24, 2014;Last modified: May 27, 2014 09:22AM

Some Pueblo County citizens were perplexed and in shock after receiving letters from the Colorado Department of Revenue stating that their driving privileges had been revoked because they had committed a felony in which a motor vehicle was used.

Leroy Garcia

Especially since they had never committed such a felony.

According to the DOR, the Division of Motor Vehicles mailed out 134 letters to Pueblo County residents erroneously.

The department apologized Friday in a press release for the error and for any distress the situation may have caused its customers.

Officials said the department will be sending letters to those impacted explaining the error with an apology.

“We received a file that was incorrect and since the letters are generated automatically, incorrect letters were sent out,” said Daria Serna, communications director for the department.

Serna said the entity that produced the incorrect file has been notified and made changes to ensure this will not happen in the future.

“We are going through all 134 records to make sure they are correct and each person will be contacted and they will be provided a copy of the driving record,” Serna said.

State Rep. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, said Friday that he received several phone calls and emails from his constituents about the situation.

“I have heard from many citizens who have been impacted by this — it is inexcusable,” Garcia said. “I spoke with the (DOR) director and have expressed my concerns and am asking that the department conduct a thorough review.”

Garcia said he was told that the situation was specific to Pueblo County and was not a statewide issue.

“To me, there are several triggers that should have probably prevented this from happening,” Garcia said.

Puebloan Brenda Dunn said her 19-year-old son received a revocation letter Wednesday. She said her son is a typical teenage driver and has received a couple of driving tickets, but has never been convicted of a felony of any type.

“We were in absolute shock when we saw the letter and extremely concerned,” Dunn said.

Dunn said upon calling the DOR, her son was told “not to worry” and that there had been 1,500 people in Pueblo who had received a similar letter.

She said her son also was told that a letter had been sent to the DMV explaining the error.

Dunn, who works for the Pueblo County Sheriff’s office, said she was concerned because had her son been pulled over, he may have been arrested.

“It’s Click it or Ticket. It’s homecoming and prom and Memorial Day weekend and I’m thinking, ‘What if he was pulled over?’ ” she said.

Dunn is requesting that the DMV provide her son with a letter explaining the error referencing the order of revocation and how the issue is being resolved.

Dunn said she also would like a copy of the letter that her son was told was sent to the DMV. She also wants a current copy of her son’s driving record at the DMV’s expense, and written proof from the DOR’s legal department assuring her son that this will never show up on any report or record now or in the future.

“I don’t know if I’ll get all of that, but it won’t be acceptable until I do,” Dunn said.